Tornado and Hail in North Carolina, April 22, 2023

Name: Tornado and Hail in North Carolina, April 22, 2023
Start: 2023-04-22T05:10
End: 2023-04-22T06:51
Location: North Carolina

April 22, 2023 · NWS GSP · 6 events in 4 counties and zones

A line of heavy rain showers and embedded thunderstorms swept across western North Carolina during the morning. A couple embedded strong-to-severe storms produced brief periods of hail and damaging wind gusts in the Piedmont.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $10,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS GSP wrote it up.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 22, 2:05 AM EST, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 22, 2:05 AM EST, 3 hours 5 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 22, 3:05 AM EST, 2 hours 5 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
405 AM EDT Sat Apr 22 2023

GAZ010-NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065-501-503-505-507-509-SCZ101>103-
230815-
Rabun-Avery-Madison-Yancey-Mitchell-Swain-Haywood-Buncombe-Graham-
Northern Jackson-Macon-Southern Jackson-Transylvania-Henderson-
Caldwell Mountains-Burke Mountains-McDowell Mountains-
Rutherford Mountains-Polk Mountains-Oconee Mountains-
Pickens Mountains-Greenville Mountains-
405 AM EDT Sat Apr 22 2023

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northeast Georgia, western
North Carolina and upstate South Carolina.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight.

Showers and a few thunderstorms will cross the area this morning.
Gusty winds, brief, heavy rainfall, and cloud-to-ground lightning can
be expected with any thunderstorm.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday.

A cold air mass moving into the area will bring the potential for
frosty or freezing conditions Sunday and Monday nights.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

None.

GAZ017-018-026-028-029-NCZ035-056-068>070-502-504-506-508-510-SCZ008-
010>013-019-104>109-230815-
Habersham-Stephens-Franklin-Hart-Elbert-Alexander-Catawba-Cleveland-
Lincoln-Gaston-Greater Caldwell-Greater Burke-Eastern McDowell-
Greater Rutherford-Eastern Polk-Cherokee-Anderson-Abbeville-Laurens-
Union SC-Greenwood-Greater Oconee-Greater Pickens-Central Greenville-
Southern Greenville-Northern Spartanburg-Southern Spartanburg-
405 AM EDT Sat Apr 22 2023

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northeast Georgia, piedmont
North Carolina, western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight.

Showers and scattered thunderstorms will cross the area this morning.
A few of the storms may become strong with very gusty winds and small
hail.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday.

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

None.

NCZ036-037-057-071-072-082-SCZ009-014-230815-
Iredell-Davie-Rowan-Mecklenburg-Cabarrus-Union NC-York-Chester-
405 AM EDT Sat Apr 22 2023

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for piedmont North Carolina and
upstate South Carolina.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight.

Showers and scattered thunderstorms will cross the area through early
afternoon. A few of the storms may become strong to severe with
damaging winds and large hail the main threats.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday.

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

None.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 22, 4:29 AM EST, 41 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
529 AM EDT Sat Apr 22 2023

NCZ068-504-506>508-221000-
Greater Rutherford NC-Cleveland NC-Greater Burke NC-
Rutherford Mountains NC-Eastern McDowell NC-
529 AM EDT Sat Apr 22 2023

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southeastern
McDowell, northern Rutherford, northwestern Cleveland and
southwestern Burke Counties through 600 AM EDT...

At 528 AM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 5
miles northwest of Rutherfordton, moving northeast at 50 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and half inch hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
         possible.

Locations impacted include...
Rutherfordton, Morganton, Glen Alpine, Casar, South Mountains State
Park, Green Hill, Thermal City, Glenwood, Sunshine and Union Mills.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm.
Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe
shelter inside a building or vehicle.

&&

LAT...LON 3575 8175 3549 8156 3534 8208 3535 8208
      3537 8211 3538 8211 3540 8213 3551 8217
      3552 8215 3553 8208 3558 8204
TIME...MOT...LOC 0928Z 240DEG 41KT 3543 8203

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

MPR

Special weather statement, Apr 22, 4:58 AM EST, 12 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Special weather statement, Apr 22, 5:01 AM EST, 9 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
601 AM EDT Sat Apr 22 2023

NCZ510-SCZ008-010>013-106>109-221030-
Eastern Polk NC-Cherokee SC-Northern Spartanburg SC-
Central Greenville SC-Laurens SC-Southern Spartanburg SC-
Abbeville SC-Anderson SC-Union SC-Southern Greenville SC-
601 AM EDT Sat Apr 22 2023

...Strong thunderstorms will impact portions of southeastern Polk,
Laurens, southeastern Greenville, Spartanburg, east central Anderson,
western Cherokee, northeastern Abbeville and northwestern Union
Counties through 630 AM EDT...

At 600 AM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from 11 miles northwest of Spartanburg to 13 miles
east of Greenville Downtown to 11 miles north of Abbeville. Movement
was northeast at 45 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and pea size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
         possible.

Locations impacted include...
Spartanburg, Gaffney, Laurens, Greenville Downtown, Greenville
Eastside, Greer, Mauldin, Taylors, Simpsonville and Clinton.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

Torrential rainfall is also occurring with these storms and may lead
to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded
roadways.

Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with these storms.
Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe
shelter inside a building or vehicle.

&&

LAT...LON 3433 8252 3487 8236 3512 8224 3512 8222
      3518 8221 3527 8199 3525 8196 3519 8196
      3517 8162 3441 8185 3437 8220 3441 8225
      3435 8232
TIME...MOT...LOC 1000Z 236DEG 40KT 3507 8205 3488 8215 3434 8232

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

RWH

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 102 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:12 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Burke

When: April 22, 5:10 AM EST
Where: Burke County, 0.47 mi NNW of Enola
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.676, -81.654

Public reported up to penny size hail on Gouge Ave.

Hail, Lincoln

When: April 22, 5:57 AM EST
Where: Lincoln County, 0.8 mi E of Crouse
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.422, -81.306

Public reported 3/4 inch hail in the Crouse area.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lincoln

When: April 22, 5:59 AM EST to 6:03 AM EST
Where: Lincoln County, 1.05 mi WSW of Southside to 0.87 mi SE of Salem
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates: 35.446, -81.248

Fire dept reported a tree blown down on Southside Church Rd and another tree down on Philadelphia Church Rd.

Tornado, Iredell

When: April 22, 6:27 AM EST to 6:39 AM EST
Where: Iredell County, 2.19 mi SW of Mt Mourne to 3.82 mi SSW of Mooresville Mllr Arp
Rating: EF0
Path length: 7.67 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates: 35.532, -80.882

NWS storm survey found the path of an EFO tornado that apparently developed over Lake Norman before moving onshore at the Lake Campus of Davidson College. Picnic tables were blown into the water and a large hardwood tree was snapped. Numerous spots along the shore between the Lake Campus and I-77 saw snapped tree trunks or large branches. One large poplar tree was uprooted and damaged other large trees as it fell. One fence was damaged along with a wellhead. The tornado crossed I-77 at about 7:30 am, and more sporadic damage subsequently occurred across the south sides of Mount Mourne and Mooresville. Numerous large, healthy tree branches were downed between Langtree Rd and Blackwelder Farm Dr. In the vicinity of Mooresville Middle School, a fence collapsed and a tree was uprooted. Uprooted trees and branch damaged occurred in a few spots between Linwood Rd and Teeter Rd. The tornado ended along Teeter Rd just short of the Rowan County line.

Thunderstorm Wind, Iredell

When: April 22, 6:32 AM EST to 6:38 AM EST
Where: Iredell County, 1.25 mi ESE of Mt Mourne to 3.46 mi ESE of Mooresville
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates: 35.542, -80.830

Fire dept reported trees blown down on Newbury Dr. Public reported multiple large limbs blown down southeast of Mooresville.

Hail, Cabarrus

When: April 22, 6:51 AM EST
Where: Cabarrus County, 4.96 mi WNW of Roberta Mills
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.400, -80.730

Public reported 3/4 inch hail via mping project.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Carolina in 2023 Every state in 2023 This day in weather history The tornado archive for North Carolina, 2023 Warnings in North Carolina, April 2023

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1097461, 1096685, 1096682, 1109704, 1096684, 1096688.